James Comey’s Wife an RPCV (Sierra Leone)

Thanks to a “Heads Up” from Don Beil (Somalia 1963-65)

James Comey, the former FBI Director and author of A Higher Loyalty is married to an RPCV: Patrice Failor (Sierra Leone 1983-85). Comey writes about visiting his then girlfriend in the summer after his first year of law school. The two had met in college. Corney writes in this new book:

“All of us have encounters with death in our lives. It’s inevitable. I’ve had my share, even after the Ramsey Rapist receded into my nightmares. There was, for example, the time I visited Patrice, who at this time was just my girlfriend, while she was in the Peace Corps in a remote village in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and I nearly died from contracting malaria. If she had not driven me in the middle of the night on the back of her motorcycle and literally dragged me into a remote hospital, I would not have made it. But sometimes it isn’t when we face death ourselves, but rather when death takes away those we love the most, that we really learn about just how short our time on earth is and why what we do with that time matters.”

5 Comments

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  • John, I have a cousin who was a PCV in Kailahun, Sierra Leone in the 1960s… she is wondering where Ms Failor served in Sierra Leone … I wonder if any of your readers know??

    • I am a Sierra Leonean and keen to know also where in Sierra Leone now-Mrs. Comey worked as a Peace Corps volunteer between 1983 and 1985.

  • I am a Sierra Leonean too, and I’ve work for Peace corps as a Language and Cultural Facilitator. I am curious to know where did Mrs Comey served during her tenure as a volunteer in Mama Salone!

  • Roberta,

    Peace Corps World Wide is not an official Peace Corps site. Here is the information:

    “All work done for Peace Corps Worldwide is volunteer, and the site is in no way associated with the Peace Corps or the National Peace Corps Association.” https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/about/

    About 3870 or so Volunteers have served in Sierra Leone, between the years 1962-1994 and 210 – present.
    Volunteers serve for two years, most times in isolated sites, assigned by themselves. There is no reason to think any one
    Volunteer would know everyone who ever served. Quite the contrary.

    Please do not speculate about Patrice Comey’s service based on three comments here. When Peace Corps began back in the 60s, the names of trainees/Volunteers were usually public and sent to their home town papers. Now, because of privacy regulations, Volunteer personal information is not public.

    Thank you.

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